Mesoamerican ballplayer figurine unearthed in Mexico

The figure indicates the activity known as “the ballgame” was even more widespread than thought in Mesoamerica, which extended from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

The partial figurine shows about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of a male ballplayer’s chest. The head and legs have been broken off. It seems to be wearing a ballgame costume, including a wide belt covering the abdomen and an elaborate mirrored collar like those worn by other examples of ballplayers known from other areas of Mesoamerica.

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